Jeff Berger attended Penn State from 1966 to 1970, also joining S.D.S. and becoming quite active politically. He often went from dorm to dorm to talk with students about political issues. Some S.D.S. members believed squirting recruiters with red paint was productive. Jeff Berger didn’t. He approached the soldier at the bar and held a civil conversation with him about their differences. He attended several peace marches and spoke at the Old Main take-over on campus. He also led a small crowd to President Walker’s residence, where a meeting with General Westmoreland was taking place. He and his follow demonstrators sat in the driveway and later banged on the side of Walker’s vehicle as it exited. Just like Howard, Jeff never joined the militant chapters of S.D.S., believing that their violent behavior would ruin the movement. It ultimately did. Jeff now teaches working class students and is happy to help them find their way out of poverty. He believes that his involvement in the anti-Vietnam War Movement made him a better man.

Was the war worth it?

Previous24
Return to A Time to Choose Story Selection